Veterinary – Strategies For Success library

Assembling A Winning Team: How Predictable Are Your Hiring Practices?

by Virginia Moore | 02/15/2008 | Practice Management & Marketing , Physicians

Sound familiar? The people you employ can be your greatest practice asset, but not without a system in place that takes the guesswork out of the hiring process.

Ask yourself the following questions to determine the effectiveness of your current hiring system:

1. Do you have a clear picture of the person you want to hire, including experience level, personality style and complementary values?
 
2. Do you employ a 3-step interview process (on 3 different occasions), which includes an interview with the doctor, skills assessment and lunch with the staff?
 
3. Do you have a detailed Job Description and a Training Plan for the new hire?

If you answered “no” to any of the above, your hiring process could use a boost.

1. Have a clear picture of the person you want to hire. What level of experience is necessary? What is your commitment to training time? What personality traits are important? Does the applicant have complementary values to the doctor and the practice?
 
2. Widely promote the position. You can attract applicants using conventional advertising methods such as newspaper ads as well as less mainstream approaches, such as considering someone from your patient base. Don’t put all your promotional eggs in one basket. Interview as many people who fit your criteria as possible.
 
3. Conduct a 3-step interview. A 3-step interview process allows the doctor and staff time to get to know the applicant in different settings and situations. By following this process, you greatly enhance the chance of making the best decision for your practice.
 
Interview #1:  Get to know the applicant. The doctor conducts this interview. Spend approximately 30 minutes with the applicant.

Interview #2:  Skills assessment. The skills assessment allows you to observe, evaluate and listen to the applicant while in your office. It is a combination of direct patient contact and testing situations.
 
Interview #3:  Lunch with the staff. Involving the staff illustrates that compatibility and staff input are valued. If the applicant did well during the skills assessment, invite her or him back for lunch.

4. Have a clearly defined job description, and a training plan in place.

Before you begin the hiring process, consider these four very important issues:Job descriptions benefit everyone. Understanding each other’s roles lessens confusion about who does what, helps in the hiring process, is necessary for performance appraisals and aids time management. Provide the applicant with the customized job description at Interview #1.

Take the ‘hit and miss’ out of assembling your winning team by using this tried-and-true, step-by-step system to make the hiring process in your practice as stress free and predictable as possible.

_{Statements of opinion not necessarily endorsed by the American Medical Association, or any of its subsidiaries, counsels, commissions, or agencies.}

For over 20 years, Virginia Moore and business partner Debbie Castagna have helped bring greater productivity and profitability to hundreds of doctors and their teams. Their company, The Practice Source, provides practice management consulting as well as practical, results-oriented practice management training materials. They are also co-founders of The Consulting U, an intensive "masters" training program for dental management consultants. Visit their website at www.ThePracticeSource.com.